israel

during world war 1, great britain took control of palestine from turkey, which was fighting with germany against the british. at the end of the war, the league of nations assigned the governing of palestine to great britain, but also entrusted to the british the establishment within palestine of "a national home for the jewish people." both arabs and jews lived in this largely desert land, and neither group was willing to form a government with the other.

during hitler's dictatorship, thousands of european jews fled to palestine. in 1947, the un proposed that separate arab and jewish states be created out of palestine. the jews living in palestine immediately accepted and announced the formation of the state of israel on may 14, 1948.